Ironing-machine



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. D. H. CAMPBELL. IRONING MACHINE.

No. 420,405. Patented Jan. 28, 1 890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets Sheet 2.

D. H. CAMPBELL.

IRONING MACHINE v1\I0.1f2.o,4.o5. Patented Jaulas, 18.90.

Znv entor- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DUNCAN H. CAMPBELL, OF PAl/VTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY B. METCALF, OF SAME PLACE, AND VILLIAIWI MCCLEERY, DOF

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

lRONlNGilVlACHlNE.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,405, dated January 28, 1890.

Application filed October 30, 1883. Serial No. 110.393. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUNCAN H. CAMPBELL, residing in Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have in- 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken inV connection With the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, ro and complete description of the several features of my invention.

Machines embodying my present improvements are specially adapted for use in ironing comparatively small pieces ,of such fabries as are used in the manufacture of clothcovered buttons; but other branches of ironing can be Well performed therewith. In my machine I employ an ironing-bed which is provided with leveling mechanism and a zo disk-shaped smoothing-iron, which has a circular `flat face and is revolved upon an axis which is at right angles to its face. The said axis or chuck is mounted in t-he outer end of a jointed arm, which permits the smoothing- 2 5 iron to be moved freely to and fro in all directions over the ironing-bed, with its flat face always parallel with the surface of said bed, although free to be moved vertically toward and away therefrom, and these latter 3o movements,withtherequisite downwardpressure of the iron, are provided for by means of a spring and a treadle, so that the operator with a foot can control the vertical movements, and with one hand move the iron in 3 5 all directions horizontally, while his other hand .can be employed in handling, or controlling the fabric.

To particularly describe vmy improvements I Will refer to the accompanying drawings, in

4o which- Figure 1, Sheet l, is aperspectivc view of one of my machines. Fig. 2, Sheet 1, in two views, illustrates the means for leveling the ironingbed. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a side view of the 4 5 jointed arm with adjacent portions of the machine shown in section. Fig. 4L is a tcp view of the jointed arm, the smoothing-iron, and the portion of the machine to which the arm is connected, with additional sectional views of portions of saidv arm. Figi is a horizon- 5o tal section of the central portion of the machine on line Eig. 3. Fig. 6 is a top view of the smoothing-iron with lits central upper portions removed. Fig. 7 isa vertical section of the elbow of the jointed arm.

It is to be understood that with the exception of the smoothing-iron and the parts of the machine immediately adjacent thereto the machine here shown is like a cloth-cutting machine devised byme, as shown and 6o j described in my Letters Pat-ent, No. 297,497,

dated April 22, 1884:, and it is to be also understood that I propose under this applicat-ion to limit myself to such combinations of elements as are of value when organized with a smoothing-iron in an ironing-machine.

The frame A may be variously constructed,` but it must have a suitable support for an ironing-bed and afford suitable bearings and seats for the several shafts, boxes, and hang- 7o ers, as" hereinafter described. The ironingbed B is mounted upon supporting and adjusting screws a, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that the bed can be levelly adj usted to and firmly supported in a plane exactly parallel with the face of the smoothing-iron employed by me. A

The jointed arm C carries at its outer en'd the revolving smoothing-iron D in such a manner that the working-face of the iron always occupies a horizontal pla'ne; but it can be moved to and fro in said plane in all directions above the ironing-bed. Said jointed arm is constructed in two lengths b and b',

elbow-jointed upon a spindle b2, and the pory tion b at its butt is sleeved upon a vertical spindle or rod b3, which is Xedly mounted in seats centrally located in cross-bars of the frame, as clearly shown. The jointed arm is arranged to slide vertically on the spindle b3, and it is suspended from a bell-crank lever c by way of a cross-bar c and links which are hinged to a sectional` collar c3, occupying an annular recess in the sleeve c4, which is firmly secured to an upwardly-proj ecting hub c5 integral With the portion b of the jointed arm, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. The bellcrank lever c is normally so held as to maintain the jointed arm in its most elevated position, as seen in Figs. l and 3, by means of the retractile spiral spring (l, connected to a bracket in the form of a bell-crank lever tl', which has an adj listing-screw (Z2, by which the tension of the spring maybe graduated. The jointed arm is lowered upon the' rod or spindlel)3 by depressing a treadle cl3, to which is connected the chain di, which, passing over suitable pulleys, is attached to the bell-crank lever c, so that by overcoming the power of the spring Cl the jointed arm is lowered and the smoothing-iron caused to bear upon fabric supported by the bed with any desirable degree of pressure. A screw cG in the bell-crank lever c enables the adjustment of the downward limit to the movement of the smoothingiron, if desired.

The revolving slnoothing-iron D is a hollow disk and has aworking-face which is at right angles to its axis. The axis or chuck D of the iron is provided with a suitable bearing e in the outer end of the jointed arm, and motion is imparted to said iron from the main shaft fas follows: A grooved pulley f on shaft f is geared bya round belt f 2, ma two loose pulleys f 3, (of which only one is showm) to a horizontal loose pulley f 4 on the hub c5, at the inner end of the jointed arm. Said pulley f4 is geared in like manner with the largest of the grooved pulleys f5, loosely mounted on the elbowspindle b2 of the jointed arm, and the smallest pulley f5 is belted to the grooved pulley f, which is secured to the axis or chuck D of the smoothing-iron. The tendency of the arm to swing in a direction corresponding to the draft of the belts is counteracted by drags. One of these drags is a weight g, attached to a cord g', passing over a loose pulley g2, and which at its opposite end is secured to one side of the collar ci, before described as secured to the hub c5, said collar being grooved, as at g3, for enabling the cord to partially encircle it. The other drag is frictional, and it consists of a spring gl and its adjustingscrew g5, these being located at the elbowjoint and carried by the outer portion b of the jointed arm, so that the spring will bear against the spindle b2, which is iixedly secured to the inner portion l) of said arm, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 7. Other well-known means may obviously be employed for preventing the arm from being unduly moved by the draft of the belts.

The smoothing-iron disk in my machine is hollow and is heated by a gas jet, preferably operating on the well-known Bunsen principle, so as to obtain good combustion with a minimum of sooty deposits. The axis or chuck D is hollow to provide for the reception of a stationary gas-pipe 7L, to which, at its lower end, a coil-burner 7L' is attached, as seen in Fig. G. The upper end of the gaspipe his provided with a collar h2, squared upon two sides, so as to occupy a slot in a plate h3, which is secured to an upward projection on the jointed arm, and said plate may be relied upon for supporting said pipe or only for preventingits rotation. As shown, the pipe is supported by the collar h2, which has a bearing upon the upper end of the hol,- low chuck recessed within the loose pulley thereon.

A suitably-covered handle E is provided at the outer end of the jointed arm surrounding the chuck D', and a guard-platee' above the iron serves to protect the hand of the operator. I am well aware that hollow revolving smoothing-irons have been heated by internal gas-jets, but I know of none prior to my invention that have been so organized as to rotate upon a vertical axis at the end of a jointed arm, or so as to revolve in a horizontal plane and be capable of being moved to and fro over an ironing-bed and meantime reciprocated vertically.

It will be seen that the disk or smoothingiron revolving on an axis at right angles to its working-face is well adapted to work upon small pieces of fabric, because the latter need not be specially held on account of the fact that the smoothing-surface of the iron travels circularly in the plane of the ironing-bed, and because the iron can be readily lowered and pressed upon the fabric and directly lifted therefrom.

I am aware that there has been heretofore embodied in an ironing-machine an ironingtable capable of sliding horizontally t-o and fro in all directions and an ironing-disk rotated upon a vertically-sliding axis and lifted and lowered by a treadle and lever.

l am also aware that in horizontal cylinder ironingmachines a sliding bed mounted on spring-cushions has been provided at each end, with an adj Listing-screw beneath a cushion for raising or lowering said ends; but said bed was free to rock sidewise on said cushions and screws, and thereby enabled to adjust its surface laterally at variable angles with relation to the longitudinal surface of the ironing-cylinder, according to variations in thickness of the articles supported by said bed during the operation of ironing; but in my machine the ironing-bed is rigidly held upon its adj Listing-screws, and is not only leveled thereby, but is firmly maintained in that condition.

I am also aware that a heavy rectangular and pointed smoothing-iron has been mounted at the outer end of a jointed lever and swiveled therein, and that said lever has been coupled to a treadle for causing the smoothing-iron to bear upon goods to be ironed, and also provided with a weight and pulley for lifting the iron; but in said machine the swiveling of the iron only enabled the operator to impart thereto with his hands the same movements as are given to the ordinary goose as commonly used by tailors, whereas in my machine the iron is rotatively driven and is also capable of being moved in all directions above the bed while rotating.

Having thus described my invention, I

ICO

IIO

claim as nevT and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the ironing-bed, of the jointed arm provided with a belt-pulley at its inner end and also at its joint, the disk-shaped smoothing-iron mounted upon a vertical axis at the outer end of said arm, a belt-pulley on said axis, a treadle and spring with their connecting mechanism for lifting and lowering the arm, and a handle for moving lche iron to and fro over the bed While 1'0- tating, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the jointed arm, the

revolving,` smoothing-iron mounted upon said arm at its outer end and having a diskshaped Working-face at right angles to 1t-s axis, the ironing-bed, and the bed supporting and adj ust-ing screws, substantially as described, whereby said bed is adjusted vertically and firmly maintained with itssurfaoe parallel Withfthe Working-face of the ironingdisk, as set forth.

DUNCAN H. CAMPBELL. Witnesses:

LAWRENCE A. LocKWooD, JOSEPH CQEFEY. 

